Entering 6th Grade Literacy

Welcome to the Literacy Virtual Learning University page! We’re so glad you’re here! Below are some activities to challenge and keep you learning throughout the summer. If you are unable to complete the challenges below for any reason, feel free to adjust the activity to meet your learner's specific needs. Happy Learning!

Challenge 1: Get a Hold of a Good Book and READ!

Pick a book, or two, or three from home or access ebooks on your school’s library site. Read, read, and read some more! You can keep a tally of the books you read throughout the summer. Here are some suggestions to get you started- Summer Reading Suggestions.

Challenge 2: Random Notes of Kindness

Research shows that positive brains have an advantage over brains that are neutral or negative. Focusing on positivity can improve your happiness and overall engagement. With this in mind, write a quick note to a family member, friend, neighbor, or someone in your community that shares a compliment, positive quote, or how they bring happiness to your life. Keep a tally of the number of people you spread kindness to throughout the summer.

Challenge 3: Parody Play

Songs are powerful tools. After reading a book of your choice, create a song that summarizes or explains the plot or key points of the book. You could model it after an existing melody of your choice (ie. Old MacDonald, Star Spangled Banner, or Shake it Off) or create an original tune for your lyrics. Consider recording your song for others to enjoy!

Challenge 4: #Hashtagchallenge

After reading a book of your choice, create a collection of hashtags that would encourage others to read that text.

Examples: #ifyoulikemysteries #whodoneit #surpriseending

Challenge 5: Choose Your Own Adventure

Read an adventure book with a clear plot such as The Land of Stories series, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Series of Unfortunate Events series, City of Ember series, or The Harry Potter series, etc. Invent a board game based on the plot.

Challenge 6: Sights and Sounds

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and you're surrounded by brilliant shades of green! Observe and collect sensory images from nature and use the sights, sounds, smells, and textures to create original nature poetry.

Challenge 7: Explore Your Local Libraries

Libraries are important to the community around them. Visit a local library to check out books, access ebooks through their websites, or take part in some fun-filled scheduled events.

Local Libraries to visit:

Challenge 8: Food for Thought

Find a recipe to make. You can look online, follow the recipe from a cooking book or show, ask a family member or friend for a loved recipe. Make the dish and invite your family to try your cooking. Take notes after you’ve made the recipe. What was easy to follow in the directions? What was difficult? Annotate what you might change and why. Give a review of the final product: Did you like it? Why or why not? If you make it again, what could you do differently?

OR

Create a recipe with specific easy to follow directions. Make the item. Take pictures as you go. Ask family to try the recipe and review it. Write a narrative or a summary of your experience creating a delectable dish. Each great recipe has a story…..

Consider reading these cooking books to help you find inspiration.


Challenge 9: Screen-Free Challenge

Here’s your challenge if you choose to accept it... Give up digital entertainment for an entire day or even a week! Challenge yourself to say no to TVs, computers, tablets, cell phones, and video games! To help yourself succeed, tell your family members about your challenge and invite them to participate. You can hide your devices or even hang a “Don’t Turn Me On” sign on your TV. For a bonus, keep a journal of how you feel during your screen-free day or week. What is it like to be screen-free? How long will your family survive this screen-free challenge?!

Challenge 10: Inspire Change

Create an original billboard including an inspirational phrase that highlights a person or character from a fictional or informational text you read. Think about character traits, actions, words, thoughts, to help you create your billboard.